


Promises

by cloudnymphs



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Slight OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23685565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudnymphs/pseuds/cloudnymphs
Summary: Due to fear and uncertainty, Yugi abandons the puzzle and parts ways from Atem, leaving him vulnerable. Fortunately, the rest of the gang is able to retrieve Atem while Yugi mysteriously vanishes. Years later, with his body and memories Atem remains on Earth and one day meets Yugi again.OrYugi abandons Atem's puzzle. Years later, the two meet again both living completely different lives yet still sharing an unbreakable connection.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, others
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I've been toggling with this idea for a while now. I had the story, but listening to one of my favorite songs 'Promises' by Ben Howard pushed me to write it. So I hope you enjoy!

Fear. 

That emotion was foreign to someone like Atem. He was no stranger to loneliness and uncertainty, as he grew accustomed to those when he lived in solitude within the puzzle. They festered within him like parasites, eating away at him for those long yeas he remained trapped within the puzzle. 

Tumutlous emotions given the life he lived were no strangers to him but fear--this was new.

And the first time he'd felt it was the day Yugi had abandoned him. It happened so suddenly--not even the others were informed. It was a decision that Yugi had made by himself, after weeks of growing distant from the puzzle and from Atem (Yami at the time), and being afraid of the risk he and his friends faced.

Yugi had taken the puzzle far away from everyone, a grove Atem remembered and placed it at the base of a tree.

"Sorry..." He had managed through tears. "I'm just...af...raid...for my f...friends...th...they almost...died..." As distraught as Atem was, as the fear slowly seeped into his essence with the realization of just was about to happen, he was able to for the last time, feel Yugi's pain. 

Yugi did not make this decision lightly, it brought him no joy to abandon one of the closest friends he knew. And despite the uncertainty that Atem faced, Yugi's guilt and regret brought him the most anguish. He wanted nothing more than to reach from the puzzle and embrace him. For a moment, Atem forsook his own emotions only if it meant there was a possibility of him making Yugi happy.

Yet in a second...it all ended. 

Yugi's soft hands upon the puzzle slipped away right before he buried it with leaves, and like that, so did his warmth. Atem could feel Yugi until his essence vanished and again, Atem was alone.

The fear settled in, next the confusion, resentment and then loneliness. 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Seven years later, Atem's knuckles hovered upon the door as the memory of that evening rendered him immobile. 

That event had shaken him to his core, confused him and even for a slight moment, caused him to grow some resentment toward Yugi. Yet, as days (or were they weeks?) passed, the anger subsided and melted away to acceptance. There was still confusion and agitation toward the situation yet was remedied when Atem found his friends again. 

He was alone, but only for a short while. 

It did not take the rest of the gang that long to find him again, to retrieve his puzzle and eventually end up helping him find himself again. 

Now here he was, seven years later--his identity, his memories and a family. Deciding to stay on Earth was not a difficult decision for Atem, and over the years he had grown to enjoy his life. By now he was a world famous, unbeatable duelist, in addition to having a museum of his own that focused on ancient artifacts. He did other things like art, modeling (because it took enough people to tell him he was an attractive person and he should go for it), writing and other hobbies. 

Everything in his life thus far was perfect. Yugi abandoning him didn't have the negative repercussions he feared and to be fair, there was only one negative outcome of this whole situation. And that was that, no matter how much he'd looked, no matter how many countries or unknown crevasses of the Earth he'd traveled, he could not find Yugi--anywhere. 

The story was that, he just left without a word. 

The day he abandoned the puzzle, he seemingly vanished and no one knew where he was. Not even Kaiba's best tracking technology could pinpoint his location, it was as if he didn't exist. So it was no shock that Atem had spent nearly every free moment he had tracking down Yugi.

He was no longer angry, resentful or hateful toward Yugi. He just missed him and wanted to see if he was safe. He could feel him somewhere and somehow he knew that he was still living...even if far away. And for seven years, he held on to that connection like a life source as it brought him to different countries, towns, houses, etc. 

He had his ups and downs--far more disappointing moments than happy ones yet he never gave up on finding Yugi. 

Now here he was, his balled fist hovered over a poorly painted white door. The wood was chipped, the color faded and the door handle looked as if it was about to fall off. The outside appearance of the house was less than desirable; the windows were cracked with the exterior appearing weak, as if it was to cave in at any moment. Atem could not say much for the roof.

Reagrdless, this is where that 'itch' he had learned to call it, was the strongest. He could feel a familiar presence behind the door and knew that those seven years had led him here. 

Inhaling, and pushing pain and regret behind him, Atem knocked. 

For the first few moments, there was no sound so Atem knocked again.

"Hello? Is Yugi Mutou here?" He asked, loudly. "I need to speak to him--" 

Another knock and to Atem's shock, the door slowly pushed open. Confused yet just as nervous, he stepped through the threshold and walked in. The home was dimly lit, save for the television that weakly illuminated the living room. He could not see much more from there. 

"Yugi?" He called out confused, respectfully closing the door behind him. "Are you here?" It was in that moment, there was a movement on the side of him. He heard something or someone there in the darkness attempting to make their presence unknown.

Like a logical person, Atem rummaged through the home for a light switch and when he found one, a few things were revealed to him.

One, there was a person who was standing by the door all along and two--that person was without a doubt, Yugi. The years had not changed him much, as his height was still the same from when Atem first met him. If anything was different, it was that he did indeed look more tired, his eyes worn, his skin somewhat paler and altogether he seemed not well.

Yet that didn't throw Atem off as much as the weapon Yugi held in his hand did.

It was a kitchen knife, clutched in his first and directed toward Atem. He held it shakily, not wanting to strike yet obviously taken off guard by the guest in his house. 

Atem gulped, holding his arms up in surrender and walking toward Yugi. Now, the knife couldn't injure him, truly nothing could however, Yugi was faulty. There was something off about him--his mannerism and even appearance, Atem was afraid Yugi would hurt himself.

"You're in the...w..wrong house!" Yugi finally spoke, his voice riddled in uncertainty as he stepped forward. "Please leave, before I call the police."

"Yugi, it's me!" Atem moved , only receiving another threat from Yugi. 

"I don't know who you are..." 

And at that Atem stopped; it was true. Yugi only knew him as the spirit in the puzzle--he had no idea what he looked like. When Atem had possessed Yugi's body, he simply made modifications to the body that set him apart from Yugi. Now, here he was--different. Warm dark skin, crimson eyes and his hair braided neatly into a bun. Atem also had an elegant style of his own that far diverged from whatever he and Yugi dressed up in during highschool. That day he sported nice green slacks and a white laced blouse, and a simple sheer cardigan to cover him--in short, not only did he look different than he did in their highschool days but, he seemed overly dressed for this occasion and neighbor hood, so of course Yugi did not know who he was.

"Can you please leave?" Yugi's nervous voice echoed again, as he waved the knife to gain Atem's attention. It was clear he did not want to use it, he did not know how--but he felt threatened. 

"It's me, Yugi." Atem began. "The spirit in the millennium puzzle...Yami? You remember? I know I look different but that's because I have my own body..."

He watched the expression on Yugi's face. How he went from confusion, to understanding, anger and then...he dropped the knife. 

"Aibou?" Yugi spoke, just shy of a whisper.

Atem felt his throat constrict at the word, as it had been something he had yearned to hear for years. Never in his life did he think he'd hear Yugi's warm voice again yet here he was, the words rolling so effortlessly off of his lips as if they had been together for all his time.

In response, Atem nodded, not quite able to fight back his own tears.

"Yes...yes Yugi, it's me."

Yugi exhaled, his large purple eyes darting back and forth in guilt until he finally found the strength to meet Atem's gaze again. Yugi closed himself in, his shoulders hunched as he could no longer keep eye contact. Atem did not have to have a connection with him to know that he felt remorseful, and ashamed for what he had done in the past.

"I'm...I'm sorry for abandoning you--"

It was then Atem took a step forward, pulling Yugi into him and holding him in a tight embrace. He had, for such a long time, ached to close this distance between them. To feel Yugi's small, yet warm body in his arms brought Atem and immense amount of relief. He felt complete again, as if his soul had found his other half and now he could truly be at peace.

"Don't you dare apologize." Atem whispered, his lips by Yug's ear. "You were a child and I was an intruder in your life. You had every right to abandon my puzzle given everything I put you and your friends through. I won't hear an apology from you Yugi, I don't need nor want one." 

There was a pause and eventually, Yugi's trembling subsided. Het let Atem hold him like that for a while until eventually, they broke apart for a short time.

For the first time, Yugi really got to look at Atem. His eyes were a mixture of curiosity and awe as he scanned from his head all the way down to his toes--he smiled.

"You look pretty...like a model....I...I didn't know who you were at first." Yugi admitted, still sniffling. "I thought to myself--what's a pretty lady doing in my house, or in this part of town anyway. I wouldn't believe it was you Yami if you never told me." Atem smiled, leaning forward to rub Yugi's face. At first he feared the displays of affection were strange to Yugi--they had after all, not seen each other for over seven years yet, Yugi leaned in to his caresses and his touches. It was as if they were both missing pieces of a puzzle, yearning to be connected once again, the touches were natural not just to Atem but to Yugi as well.

"Let's sit down--can I get you anything to drink or eat?"

"I ate before this...I just, I want to talk to you." Atem took a seat on the sofa near him, and Yugi joined him. Atem again used this chance to observe how odd Yugi looked--how much more skinny he was than before. Almost as if he was not eating or getting the nutrients he needed. The house and the neighborhood said enough, but Atem was far more concerned with Yugi's health.

"You look...um--"

"Don't be shy Phahroh." Yugi joked. "Like shit? I get it." He smiled. "When I left, I didn't really have a lot of money you see so I had to make due with what I did have. I got a few shoddy jobs from here to there--some times that meant no food, or stuff like that....at least I got a house." Yugi looked up. "Even if it isn't in the best condition. Sorry I look so bad now...I was just getting over a cold--I had a fever the other day because of the weather. At night it's practically freezing and my furnace isn't working." 

Atem sighed. "I um--I don't want to force myself in your life or downplay your living conditions but I do have a home, it's nice. I'm a sponsored duelist you see, a world champion, and I'm also involved in other things like modeling for high profile photographers and painters...what I'm trying to say is that, if you need a place to live and food then you could--"

"Aibou, I don't want to leech off of you." Yugi protested. "I'm glad you're doing all that for yourself but I just can't abandon you and then leech off of you--"

"I want you too, please." Atem admitted. "On top of that, you kind of do owe me, since you're so adamant on bringing it up. Consider your debt paid if you live with me." 

Yugi's violet eyes, again shifted nervously until he sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "Just for a while, until I get back on my feet." Atem almost sang with joy. 

"The house, it's big enough for you and me." He admitted. "I would have asked you regardless of your living conditions...at least, if you were alone that is. I wanted us to be closer, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Yugi admitted, rather instinctively scooting closer to Atem. "I thought about you every day...it was lonely but I always thought about you--"

"Then why did you leave?" Atem had to ask, he feared it came out far harsher than he wanted it to but he needed to know. It wasn't just the fact that Yugi abandoned him that hurt him, it was also realizing that Yugi had left, without a word. If there was one thing Atem had trouble forgiving Yugi for, it was him running off. "The others....they found me about a month after you abandoned me. I thought you'd be there, but you weren't. I needed to see you Yugi. It broke my heart when they told me you'd left." 

Yugi blinked rather confused before speaking again.

"The others...they...they told me to go." Yugi confessed. "After I admitted what I'd done, they wanted nothing to do with me. It was hard, but I understood why treated me that way. At the time though, it hurt...but they just cared about you so I deserved it." He exhaled, all the while, Atem stared horrified. "You were really what kept us together and well, I sent you away and they hated me for it. So they told me to leave, and not to ever come back. I was so hurt that day and so ashamed by what I'd done to you that I just...I couldn't take it...so I listened to them and left." 

Yugi took a chance to gaze at Atem yet was instantly taken by Atem's mortified expression. 

"They didn't tell you?" Yugi asked.

Atem shook his head as the betrayal washed over him. For years he'd told the gang how much he cared for and missed Yugi. They knew of his endeavors to try and find Yugi, and how Yugi's absence tore him apart from inside. Yet, they said nothing--they watched him run around the world like a fool and said nothing.

Perhaps he would need a drink if Yugi was still offering.

"No..." Atem forced. "They didn't tell me."

____________________________________________

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully, this is like 3-4 chapters. So basically what happened is Yugi abandoned the puzzle either after battle city or the dragons arc. Yugi basically had a lot of trauma after having to see his friends nearly die during their adventures, and wrongfully took it out on Atem. He recognizes it isn't Atem's fault now, and that Atem is also a victim of this all--it's just unfortunate for them both. But Yugi's friends basically booted him out, and since he didn't have Atem with him when they confronted him he felt weak, lonely and basically had a break down so he just left. Now Atem has found him and Atem thought Yugi left on his own accord. He has no idea Yugi was guilt tripped into leaving, which doesn't sit well with him. We'll see his reaction, but also how he coped after Yugi abandoned him.


End file.
